Seyfarth Synopsis: As the transition to a Biden administration draws near, what pay equity developments can employers expect under his presidency? An analysis comparing pending federal bill H.R. 7, titled the Paycheck...more
Employees continue to file COVID-19-related lawsuits against their employers at a rapid clip. In July, we identified five categories of cases that seemed to be driving COVID-19 employment litigation: (1) alleged failure to...more
12/11/2020
/ Civil Liability ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Whistleblowers ,
Workplace Safety
Seyfarth Synopsis: On November 16, 2020, the EEOC released its “Agency Financial Report” (“AFR”) for Fiscal Year 2020. The AFR is a data compilation regarding the EEOC’s financial health, initiatives, and guiding principles,...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: On November 2, 2020, the EEOC held its first public meeting of its fiscal year, and the first meeting with its three new commissioners. The public meeting was held so that the Commission could consider a...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: As we first reported here, the EEOC announced in August 2020 that it was proposing significant amendments to its conciliation process via a notice of proposed rulemaking (“NPRM”), though specific details...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: In the last fiscal year before the November 2020 election, the EEOC made significant changes to many of its programs, all in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Like most employers across the...more
10/1/2020
/ ADEA ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Annual Filings ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Equal Pay Act ,
Pregnancy Discrimination ,
Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) ,
Rehabilitation Act ,
Retaliation ,
Title VII ,
Trump Administration
Seyfarth Synopsis: On September 8, 2020, the EEOC updated its Technical Assistance Q&A webpage to address 18 new questions regarding the application of the Americans With Disabilities Act (“ADA”), the Rehabilitation Act, and...more
9/10/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Screening Procedures ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
Seyfarth Synopsis: On September 3, 2020, the EEOC issued an opinion letter (only its second of the year) regarding the Commission’s interpretation and enforcement of § 707(a) of Title VII, which authorizes the EEOC to sue...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: On August 18, 2020, the EEOC held a public meeting to address a notice of proposed rulemaking containing potential substantive amendments to the Commission’s conciliation process. Though a copy of the...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: On August 3, 2020, the EEOC announced in a press release that it will resume issuing charge closure documents, or “Notices of Right to Sue.” The Commission had previously suspended issuing closure documents...more
The COVID-19 pandemic has spawned a wave of employment litigation directly and indirectly based on COVID-19-related health risks and employers’ response to the crisis. ...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: On July 7, 2020, the EEOC announced in a press release two new six-month pilot programs aimed at increasing voluntary resolutions of discrimination charges. One of the new programs seeks to increase the...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: In a landmark decision for gay and transgender employees, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, No. 17-1618, 2020 U.S. LEXIS 3252 (June 15, 2020), that Title VII prohibits...more
6/17/2020
/ Altitude Express Inc v Zarda ,
Bostock v Clayton County Georgia ,
Civil Rights Act ,
EEOC v RG & GR Harris Funeral Homes ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Gender Identity ,
Hiring & Firing ,
LGBTQ ,
SCOTUS ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Sexual Orientation ,
Sexual Orientation Discrimination ,
Title VII ,
Transgender
Seyfarth Synopsis: On June 11, 2020, the EEOC updated its Technical Assistance Q&A webpage to address several new questions submitted by employers and their counsel regarding the application of the Americans With...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: On June 5, 2020, the EEOC rolled out a new webpage specifically addressing its procedures for instituting Commissioner charges and directed investigations. The webpage provides much-needed insight into...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: As reported here, on May 29, 2020, EEOC Chair Janet Dhillon advised agency officials of a new, six-month pilot program changing the Commission’s practices in settling workplace bias claims before pursuing...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: In its latest update to guidance for employers in the COVID-19 pandemic, the EEOC has now clarified that employers can test employees for COVID-19 without running afoul of the Americans With Disabilities...more
4/25/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Business Continuity Plans ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Health and Safety ,
Preventive Health Care ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
Seyfarth Synopsis: The EEOC recently released updated guidance for employers trying to navigate the federal anti-discrimination laws in the COVID-19 era – entitled What You Should Know About the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act,...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: On March 27, 2020, the EEOC announced its views on the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, the EEOC provided guidance on how laws under its jurisdiction, such as the ADA, Title VII, and GINA, should be...more
3/28/2020
/ ADEA ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Essential Functions ,
GINA ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Telecommuting ,
Title VII
Seyfarth Synopsis: In the past 24 hours, the EEOC released a statement: What You Should Know About the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and COVID-19, which gives employers some guidance on how they can navigate the safety...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: On March 10, 2020, the EEOC released information about an internal resolution that may drastically change how high-stakes litigation decisions are made at the EEOC. ...more
3/11/2020
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Delegation Authority ,
Deregulation ,
EEOC Commissioner ,
EEOC General Counsel ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement Authority ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Labor Reform ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Trump Administration
Seyfarth Synopsis: Many states and cities have recently enacted laws prohibiting employers from inquiring about an applicant’s salary history or seeking that information from the applicant or the applicant’s current or former...more
2/19/2020
/ Appeals ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Litigation ,
Equal Pay ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Labor Regulations ,
Local Ordinance ,
Motion To Enjoin ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Pay Gap ,
Salary/Wage History ,
State and Local Government ,
Wage and Hour
Seyfarth Synopsis: On February 10, 2020, the EEOC released its first-ever Annual Performance Report (“APR”) for Fiscal Year 2019 (see here). The APR is an analysis of the EEOC’s litigation goals and performance results, and...more
2/11/2020
/ #MeToo ,
Annual Reports ,
Claim Procedures ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Litigation ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Harassment ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Statistical Analysis ,
Strategic Enforcement Plan
Seyfarth Synopsis: On February 4, 2020, EEOC Chair Janet Dhillon’s released a list of priorities for the Commission in 2020. While the priorities primarily focus on continuing to seek justice for workers raising claims of...more
2/6/2020
/ Administrative Backlogs ,
Ban the Box ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Discrimination ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Strategic Enforcement Plan ,
Vulnerable Victims ,
Worker Protection Standard
Seyfarth Synopsis: The EEOC recently released its enforcement and litigation statistics for Fiscal Year 2019. Notably, the statistics indicate that 2019 saw the lowest number of charges filed in over 20 years, though there...more
1/28/2020
/ #MeToo ,
Adverse Employment Action ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Complaint Procedures ,
Conciliation ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Equal Pay ,
Equal Pay Act ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
Harassment ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Pay Gap ,
Race Discrimination ,
Retaliation ,
Settlement ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State Labor Laws ,
Title VII ,
Wage and Hour